


Aftermath

by SevHells



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: Gen, Phone Calls, Sisters, Thesis, Unexpected Visitors, post ep 86
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-28 16:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevHells/pseuds/SevHells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Lizzie deals with the incident, and that which comes after. There is a broken baby sister and a jobless older sister, and there is a thesis deadline somewhere...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea I liked, which ended up being "Lydia does Storytime". But when I reopened the draft to edit it, it went on for a while. After all, the sex tape is a concrete problem to solve. Lydia, on the other hand...   
> And then 86 came up, and so now there's also Jane...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea I liked, which ended up being "Lydia does Storytime". But when I reopened the draft to edit it, it went on for a while. After all, the sex tape is a concrete problem to solve. Lydia, on the other hand...  
> And then 86 came up, and so now there's also Jane...

During those terrible days of her return home, Lizzie feared the moments when there was nothing to do. It was in those moments that she could see her baby sister's face, heard her voice...

_This is a joke, right?_  
 _He loves me..._

There was something that could block Lydia's face. Her father's as she explained that they were all okay, but that there was this problem... 

But she did not want to dwell on that either. 

She had drowned both faces by immersing herself into the internet, following whatever advice she could find on how to take down a website. But some breaks were forced on her. Trips to the bathroom, waiting for the massive amount of pages she'd opened to load, downloading software that someone said on a forum could collapse the website... So, she decided to fill her mind with something else. Something nice. Something worth thinking about. She had no brain cells free to wonder why the choice had been William Darcy. 

Maybe it was a way to punish herself. To imagine him doing whatever he could to help Lydia, and knowing how terribly she had misjudged him. Knowing that if she had given him a chance, or if she had been less taken in by Wickham, she would not have shared Wickham's story. Which led to her sharing the real, incomplete version. Which led to Wickham taking revenge on her on Lydia.  
Maybe it had been that it she had caught herself wondering what would have happened if her phone had taken 24 hours more to arrive. She had imagined that theater date, reviewing her wardrobe for something to wear, visualizing what an opera would like from a box, and the box itself, scripting out what he might do, what she might say, what they might do afterwards.  
Maybe it was the moment after Lydia left her crying, when she had needed comfort and there had been no one to give it, and she had thought back to the moments between hanging up on Charlotte and his exit from the room. To have given in, to have let him comfort her, to allow herself to cry. 

Whatever the cause, the daydreams were short. Jane would knock on the bathroom door, asking what was taking her so long. Her computer would ping, signifiying page loaded or software downloaded, and reality shredded into her illusions. How he had simply left that room, and exited her life while at it. A car had been waiting for her, and a plane ticket had been at the counter for the next available flight. And then all of her things had been delivered the following morning, all neatly clean and folded. Efficient, brisk, and impersonal. 

So her days dragged on, with nothing to do but obsess over the countdown page, try to comfort Lydia, bash Wickham with Charlotte, blame herself, fake being okay in front of her mother, and call anyone and everyone who could help. 

Thank the heavens that one of her viewers had Pm'ed her the contact details for a lawyer who might take the case even knowing the financial situation of the Bennet family. She had been scared on relying on a stranger for a contact, but she was desperate enough to try. Calling the number "Figiwida" had given, she had been answered by a competent-sounding secretary, who had asked for the basic details and promised that she would receive an answer in the next 24 hours. Six hours later, she had a lawyer. 

__It was a woman, in her late forties, who had offered to take the case on a pro-bono basis. She had good reasons for that, which she explained to Lizzie.  
a) She had gotten into the legal system to help abused people, because  
b) She had had an abusive relationship, which had left her with  
c) a daughter who was now Lydia's age, who watched the videos, and that had made her realize that  
d) The social media attention this case was receiving would help countless women:  
1) shed the stigma attached to having suffered an abusive relationship, as Lizzie and Lydia's videos showed her as an intelligent, smart, enthusiastic young woman, with a loving (if slightly distant) family, whose main fault was immaturity.  
2) fight the prejudice that insisted that they deserved to be treated that way, because it was the only way to rein in their party girl tendencies.  
3) realize that, sometimes, family and friends do know best. 

While Lizzie did understand those reasons, and supported them, the long-term effect of this was of no interest to her at the moment. All she cared for was Lydia to go on with her life as if this had never happened. While that could never be, there were some things that could be done, which was her current list of objectives: destroy that website, destroy that tape, castrate Wickham and mark him so everyone would know the monster he was inside.

So, she continued doing what she could, until, one day, there was hope. 

"This webpage is not available" 

An hour and 12 clicks later, it had not altered. 

Three hours and twenty clicks, no alteration. 

Four hours, no alteration, her phone rang. She lunged for it. 

"The website is permanently down. We are currently ensuring the destruction of all copies of the video." 

"Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Th-" 

"I need to speak with your sister." 

Trembling with relief, Lizzie knocked Lydia's door. 

"Go away!" _At least she was talking now ._

"It's down, Lydia." Lizzie wanted to yell, but her voice could not handle more than a whisper. 

"Go away!" 

"The video's been deleted." She managed to squeak in her normal tone. 

The door opened then. "It's... deleted?" said Lydia, in that shy tone that was so uncharacteristic of her that Lizzie's heart broke all over again for her sister. 

"Mostly. The lawyer's on the phone with the ..." Lydia snatched her phone, and closed the door. 

Lizzie contemplated knocking again, but her sister deserved as much privacy as she could. 

All she wanted was to sleep, but there was an anxious Jane looking out from her room, and her father was waiting. So she went downstairs, and told her father, and her mother overheard, so they ended up having to make up some crazy story because she was not telling this to her mother, and when she went back upstairs for her bed and sleep, there was Lydia waiting, hugging one very battered teddy bear, her eyes shining with tears. 

"I am just here to return your phone-" and Lizzie interrupted her with a hug. 

Jane had been right behind her, thankfully, so they were all able to hug and cry together, finally. There was still much to do, but it was mopping up a spill that was finally controlled. 

Lydia started speaking, and, mindful of Jane's advice, Lizzie listened. Heard the pain at being left behind at a home that might be taken away if things did not do better. Heard the jealousy over the amount of strangers who found her interesting for what she had to say. Heard the envy at having some direction in her life. 

That was when Lizzie interrupted, explaining that she had no idea what to do with her life. 

At which Lydia replied, in a shadow of her usual manner: "I meant Jane, you idiot." 

And they all laughed. And then cried some more. And hugged some more. 

They slept like that, arranging a spread of pillows and cushions around the mattress on the floor, drifting away for naps and waking up afterwards. 

They were found like this by Gigi the next morning. 

"Gigi?" Lizzie tried to keep her eyes open, wondering if she was dreaming she was back at Pemberly Digital. "What are you doing here?" she asked. 

"I came to see you and Lydia." 

"Do I know you?" asked a suspicious, barely woken twenty-one year old. 

"No. I'm Gigi Darcy. I'm a friend of your sister's." Lizzie knew that was the wrong thing to say. It sounded contrived, as if she had planned this, and Lydia absolutely would not stand for being managed. She could see her sister shaking away the sleepiness to replace it with anger. 

"But, most importantly, I was also a victim of George Wickham. And he cast me aside for a check right in front of me." 

"You poor thing!" Jane had awoken. 

"So that _was_ the real story?" blurted Lydia. 

"You watched the video?" asked a surprised Lizzie. 

"I might have come into the room while Mary was watching..." was Lydia's reply 

"Then why didn't you...." Lizzie began, but gestures from both Jane and Gigi made her cut herself short. "Sorry. I should have told you myself. I should have kept on watching your videos, and then I would have known that I had to warn you. I should have called." 

"You actually mean that." Lizzie tried not to be hurt by the surprise in her sister's tone. 

Jane lightened the atmosphere with a: "Gigi, it's so nice to finally meet you. Would you join us for pancakes?" 

"I agree." 

"Hey! Jane! Pancakes!" yelled Lydia, already halfway down the stairs. "And we are doing sock slides later!" 

"Thank you for coming." whispered Jane to Gigi. 

"I had to. I wanted to. You were serious about the pancakes, right?" 

"Yes." laughed Jane, as she guided the younger girl downstairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I don't end up rewriting this again (for the fourth time), next chapter should be up tomorrow. Should be around four chapters long.  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Thesis

Gigi became a frequent visitor to the Bennet household, arriving early in the morning and driving back to Netherfield late at night. It was quite difficult for her to stay the night, but it had been a conscious decision in order to avoid trouble with Mrs. Bennet.

For, understandably, Mrs Bennet had not been happy with such a beautiful girl hanging around the house, distracting male attention from her three daughters. So Gigi had mentioned her brother. Her rich, handsome, and single brother. 

So now Mrs Bennet was regaling everyone with urban legends and newspaper articles of girls who had been attacked for being on their own. And various apologies as to why it was simply impossible to accomodate such a charming girl as Gigi for a night, as they simply did not have the space.

Lizzie would deny to her dying breath that she might have wanted her mother's campaing to achieve its objective.

Why would he come over to the Bennet household, risk dealing with her mother, worse, risk having to make polite conversation with her? She had treated him horribly, offered him for mockery to the entire internet, filmed his best friend without his consent, had defended George Wickham. And then, in her attempt to stop meddling in other people's affairs, had failed to clean up his name as she should. 

And after all that, he had been the one to welcome her to his company, to offer her rides and tours, to insist until she allowed him to help. She had watched the Domino videos, after Gigi asked her for her professional vloggers opinion on them, so she knew that Darcy had done what he could. And she once more took up the habit of wondering. 

For, while the impending doom had been erased, life was not easy in the Bennet household. Lizzie made an effort to talk with Lydia. To listen to her. But there were years and years of automated replies to deal with, hard habits to break. Fortunately, Jane was there to help.

But Jane should not have been there, having all the time in the world to mediate her sisters' relationship. She should have been at work, in LA or elsewhere. Jane was strong, but none of the résumés she had sent had been answered favourably. It was worse than when she had first applied for a job, for back then, she was a mostly unknown quantity.

Now, she was the girl who had taken off when her boss needed her the most.  
There had been a few calls, but Jane's horrified expression left no doubt as to the job offered not being anything she was ever intending to do.

And then Lydia accidentally answered one of those calls, and did not leave her room for two days, claiming that her sisters were better off without her.  
Trying to make conversation while they staked out on Lydia's door, Gigi asked Lizzie about her thesis. 

And Lizzie realized that what once had seemed so far off, was now only ten days away. Graduating on time did not matter as much as it once had, but she needed her diploma to negotiate good contracts. 

So, still staked outside Lydia's bedroom, Lizzie started calling. Her teachers, the secretaries, the dean, trying to find if there was a way she could still squeeze through. 

Fortunately, as everyone knew why she had had to cut her time at PD short, people were willing to discuss her situation. With the absolute access she had been granted at PD, there was enough information. If she could manage to have a final draft ready by the end of the week.

At least, Lydia had come out of her room by the time the arrangement was made. And Lizzie was surprised by her sister's willingness to help out. 

"You don't trust me with your precious thesis project?" 

"No. I don't trust myself not to take advantage of your offer." 

And so, with Lydia's help and Jane's support, she fought through. She did not even consider time for sleeping or eating, swallowing whatever pills and food Lydia left within reach of her right hand. 

Those who have gone through such a week, know what it is like. Those who don't, cannot understand the sheer exhaustion that Lizzie felt when she printed that final draft, and sent Lydia with it to campus, not trusting herself to make it in her current zombie status.

It was only after she'd slept, showered, and eaten real food that requires both hands to eat, that she remembered that she was supposed to have recorded a couple of videos. She vaguely remembered Lydia saying not to worry. 

With some apprehension, she watched it. And almost felt as zombie-like as she had earlier by the sheer shock of what William Darcy had done. She had known he had tried to help, but if Lydia said he had been the one to save her, than that was the truth. What if...

_I think you should ask... Bing._

But no, that was preposterous. Even if he still had liked her, well, she did not reach his standards. And Lizzie knew that, in some circles, she would always be "the sister to that Valentine's sex tape girl". 

She had to let him go. If he wanted to keep in touch, he would have done something. Even send a "Hi" through Gigi. And as Gigi had gone back to work sometime during zombie week, that last fragile physical link had been lost. 

Strangely grateful for the full-time distraction the corrections to her thesis represented, she dove right in. And passed. And was now, proudly, a girl who did not work or study and still lived with her parents. 

Yay. 


	3. An unexpected call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is the one scene I HAD to write.  
> And then it kind of spawned the rest of the fic.

And then, as she was checking her resumé for the fiftieth time before sending it out to apply, came the call. The call from one of the most arrogant, stubborn, snobby persons on the planet. 

"Hello, is this Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Catherine DeBourgh. We were introduced while you came to visit your little friend at Collins & Collins?"

"Yes, I remember you." Lizzie wanted to ask why the hell was she calling. How had she gotten the number, for starters.

"Mr. Collins gave me your number when I expressed that I needed to contact you."

Little Ricky Collins, screwing with her life from a million miles away. It took her a moment to decipher what the old lady was saying.

"And why would you need to contact me??"

"Because it has reached my ears that my nephew is interested in you."

_Catherine DeBourgh_ had watched her videos? Was this karma for publically slandering all those people? Just the things that she had said about Annie-kins... 

"Of course, so far you have acted correctly and rejected him, but I require your promise that you will continue to do so." 

Okay, so she had not watched her portrayal of her. Maybe she should take those off. She sighed in relief. And then what the woman said was processed. 

"Acted correctly by rejecting him? Do you not like your nephew?" 

"Oh, I adore my nephew. Such an intelligent young man, with such a bright future ahead... He has such charm and knowledge of the world he lives in I would have never believed him capable of such a transgression as falling for one such as you." 

"Such as _me?"_

"Oh, you do posses some common sense, and your eldest sister seems to be quite a decent young woman, but the rest of your family? Not to mention, that crippling debt over your house? Do your parents not know that one can avoid debt simply by planning things well? Well, as simple minded as your mother is, I am not surprised that she was not able." 

"If my family is so terrible, why would your perfect nephew be involved with me?" 

"You are a smart woman, Liz. You were very careful and used your womanly wiles to make my poor nephew fall for you." 

Lizzie was speechless, her mind trying to process so much wrong information.

I know all about your little plan. First, your sister flirts with his best friend. That way, you will be brought into contact with my nephew, without him suspecting. If it had not been for Caroline's interference..." 

" _Caroline's_ interference?" Where was this woman getting this information? 

"Oh, how she tried to make sure my nephew knew you for the gold-digger you were. But you proved an excellent adversary." 

"I am not a gold-digger!" 

"You should not be ashamed of your triumphs, Liz. Many women have tried, many of them much more accomplished than you, and you have been the only one to succeed. Was this why you turned down the offer to work at Collins & Collins so summarily? You already had made your plans, but by keeping to your education, you could insist that you honestly cared for that for more reasons than making a living. Of course, you had no financial worries, as my nephew was already in your clutches." 

"I never..." 

"And then, when you came to visit your friend, you discovered my connection to him, and so you changed all your plans to stay here, and be able to "accidentally" reconnect with him" 

"That's not..." But she would not be deterred. 

"Of course, you must understand, I will be watching you. I will not allow my nephew to marry you-" 

"Marry?" Lizzie choked out. 

"- and neither will his friends or the rest of his family. So, knowing that there is no way you will achieve your goals, cease in your attempts to mingle with your betters. Promise me that you will do so, and we can all continue happily onwards." 

"Why do you need such promise? You insist you will not allow Darcy to ... to..." the idea was too ridiculous to mention. Marry. Her. William Darcy. Whom she had not heard from in weeks, after having spent months in daily contact. 

"Well, a manipulative woman can make a man into doing anything. Why, I did not know that Darcy had come to my company to see you! And I know him since birth!"

_Well, I did not know that part either!_

"So, Liz, promise me that you will stay away from my nephew." 

"Why should I?" 

"Oh, yes. Now that you know that Darcy will never marry you, you will have to actually work. I will find you something in Collins & Collins. You would be with your friend." 

"I will not." 

"Oh, so it is a position at Pemberly Digital? I warn you, Mrs Reynolds has been secretary for longer than my nephew's been CEO, so you won't get that position." 

"I don't want to be a secretary!" 

"Maybe one of those I&D posts were you are paid to think? It would be easy money, with little control. That way, you would be free to seduce the CEO for raises whenever-" 

"What world do you live in? Nothing of that makes any sense!" 

"Do you deny wanting to work at Pemberly Digital?" 

Lizzie knew that she could cut this short by lying. 

"Do you deny wanting my nephew to offer you a position there?" 

She did want to. When he'd told her all those wonderful things about her videos, she had had hope that he might. 

But that was before the phone call that had changed everything. 

"If I find out that you are working for Pemberley Digital in any sort of capacity that is clearly beyond your ability, I assure you Liz, every employer will know that you got it by working on your back. Not that they could not guess it on their own, what with your sister's shenanigans." 

"She was a victim! And I have not seduced Darcy!" 

"But you plan to." 

"And you are the one that insists that he could never be interested in me! Why do you need me to promise?" 

"When he comes to his senses, he will regret it. So, promise me." 

"Never." 

"Good." 

"Good what?" 

"Good that you will never see -" 

"No! I will never promise you that. And if you attempt that blackmail scheme of yours, I warn you, I have an excellent lawyer." Would she be willing to work pro-bono here? Maybe she could offer to handle the social media aspect of whatever firm she worked in? A Trade for Trade exchange? 

"Miss Bennet! I am just helping you." 

The insanity of the comment paralyzed Lizzie. " _Helping?_ " 

"An alliance between you and my nephew would be tremendously beneficial to you, of couse. He can easily pay the debts and the student loans. But what do you think happens after?" 

"After?" 

"When he realizes how you manipulated him, made him a pawn of your mother's schemes and-" 

Rage exploded. "All you have done is insult me and my family. You do not know us, you couldn't care less to actually get to know us, and yet you cast me as some femme fatale out for Darcy's money, of all things?" 

"Of course, the connections also-" 

"Listen lady, I don't care for his money! I don't care for his connections!" 

"I could almost believe you, if it weren't for the fact that I have seen your videos." 

_Oh Crap_

"Then how..." 

You have been flirting with my nephew quite effectively, Liz, and those looks you give him... I was almost convinced you cared for him." 

"Of course I care for him! He's one of the kindest, most generous persons I have ever met! But all that goodness is buried under tons of snobbery and social class that people like _you_ have placed inside his head." 

"Social classes are a real thing in this world, Liz." 

Lizzie did not hear what came after that. She was too angry to process what Catherine DeBourgh said, remembering when she had last heard that phrase.  
Maybe this was the answer. If she remembered what a douchebag Darcy had been at first, she could forget him. 

_I never though of you that way ._

No, it would not work. 

"Elizabeth Bennet!" 

"Ah?" 

"Do you promise to stay away from my nephew?" 

For the sake of her precious phone, Lizzie hanged up, fondly remembering the days when hanging up could be done by physically throwing the phone. 

And she banged her head on the keyboard, trying to make some sense of the bizarre conversation. Why hadn't she just agreed? She did not even have to make an effort to avoid Darcy, he was doing it for her. 

But growing up with Lydia had taught her to never make hasty promises under stressed circumstances. It always turned out badly for her. 


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost a week later when Gigi tweeted: "@wmdarcy, remember to bring back that green blouse I left at Netherfield."  
William Darcy was at Netherfield. 

She should go. To thank him. To tell him how wrong she had been about him. To say she was sorry about the things she had said before. To promise that she would return the plane ticket's cost.

But did he _want_ to see her? 

Could she deal with his rejection? With being in the same room as him, and again having that awkwardness from her first days at PD in the air? 

So absorbed was Lizzie in her musings, that she did not notice that someone was watching her, with a mischievous smile on her face. That she did not notice the someone coming closer, carrying something in her hands. 

But as anyone who has ever suddenly received a cat falling on their lap will tell you, there is no thought deep enough that will keep you from screaming in surprise.

"Lydia!"

"I've been calling at you for ten minutes! I want to do sock slides. What were you thinking about?"

"Darcy's at Netherfield."

"Oh, so he did join Bing."

"Bing's here too?"

"Yes. He had this huge fight with Caroline, and then he remembered that he had rented a house here, so he came and asked Darcy to join him."

"And you know this because..."

"Twitter! Caroline has been posting the most overdramatic updates about "betrayals" and "femme fatales who lead men away from their families" and stuff like that. It's like watching a one-person soap opera."

"What happened?"

"According to Gigi, Bing asked Caroline to do something, and she said she wouldn't, and somehow that escalated into this fight that ended with Caroline staying with Catherine DeBourgh! Is she really as bad as your videos say?"

_Well. That explained the call_

"Worse." 

"So, are you going to go see Darcy?" 

"I ... don't... know...?" 

"Would you make him come here? Do you know what Mom will do when she finds out he's Gigi's rich, handsome and single brother?" 

"Why would he come here?" 

Lydia gave her that look. That look that only a sister can give. That look that says. _Did I miss the day the aliens sucked out your brain? look._

"Why else would he come here?" 

"To keep Bing company?" 

Same look. And then a sigh. "Lizzie, here's what is going to happen. You are going to put on _the_ black dress, and go to Netherfield. You will go up to Darcy's room, knock on that door, and jump him. You do not return home until you have done so." Lydia raised a hand to stop Lizzie before she said anything. "Now, might I remind you I know your password for youtube and twitter, still have dirt on Charlotte, and know where you hid your baby pictures after the last time Mom showed them to a guy you liked. So remember, when you want to turn back, _Naked Baby Pictures_ ." 

Lydia was scary. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not posting when i said I would. Internet went spotty, emotional drama from a couple friends...  
> I actually even had an offer for beta-ing, but I have this slight problem of probably will not have internet for the next ten days, so I decided to post what I had. By the time I return, I know it will all have been cannon-balled.

**Author's Note:**

> If I don't end up rewriting this again (for the fourth time), next chapter should be up tomorrow. Should be around four chapters long.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
